Surveyors&#39; chains and wind-in magazines therefor



Jan. 1, 1963 M. QUENOT 3,070,889

SURVEYORS' CHAINS AND WIND-IN MAGAZINES THEREFOR Filed May 25, 1960 s Sheets-Sheet 1 #x M l 7 75 r3 14. l n I 39 IN VENT R MICHEL QUENOT A TTORNE Y5 3,070,889 SURVEYORS' CHAINS AND WIND-IN MAGAZINES THEREFOR Filed May 25, 1960 M. QUENOT Jan. 1, 1963 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVEN T01? MICHEL Gus/V011 M. QUENOT Jan. 1, 1963 SURVEYORS' CHAINS AND WIND-IN MAGAZINES THEREFOR Filed May 25, 1960 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Fig.4.

ATTORNEYS United States Patent Ofiice Patented Jan. 1, 1963 3,070,889 SURVEYORS CHAINS AND WIND-IN MAGAZINES THEREFOR Michel Quenot, Besancon, France, assignor to Etablissements Quenot & Cie, Besancon (Doubs), France Filed May 25, 1960, Ser. No. 31,752 Claims priority, application France June 8, 1959 7 Claims. (Cl. 33-137) The present invention has [for its object a surveyors chain and a wind-in magazine for that chain, both of which are designed to facilitate the operators work and render it more accurate.

To this end, and in accordance with a first characteristic of the invention, the surveyors chain, which is constituted in the manner well-known per se by a graduated metal tape, comprises, at each end, a rod of circular crosssection which is hinged onto a pin located along the plane of the tape and which is provided, at its free end, with a notch designed to facilitate the placing of the chain-pins,

this notch being made at right angles to the hinge axis of the rod. A grip is fitted for swiveling about this rod of circular cross-section, and this arrangement eliminates the drawbacks of conventional chains in which the grip, which is swivel-jointed onto the end of the tape to allow it to be oriented in the most appropriate direction relativeto the tape from the point of view of the operator holding it, is itself provided with the notch designed to allow the chain-pins to be placed in position; as a result, when a chain-pin is placed in position, it may not always be exactly perpendicular to the plane of the chain, and the position of such chain-pins may consequently be faulty.

The length of the rod of circular section referred to may be of 10 cm. and centimeter graduation marks are provided on the grip.

The tape of such a chain preferably carries a centimetric form of graduation, with decimetric and metric numerical markings, as well as metric indications every decimeter in order to facilitate reading and avoid mistakes.

The wind-in magazine is characterized by the fact that it consists of two circular cheeks joined together by struts along their periphery and a handle which is so positioned that, when the device is held in the hand of an operator, it hangs down normally along the extension of. the arm.

The handle is fitted to the extremity of tangential extensions of the cheeks; a further pair of extensions, which are substantially diametrically opposed to the others, together form a kind of lip; 21 strut joining the ends of these latter extensions of the two cheeks is designed to guide the winding-in and unwinding of the tape in a direction substantially perpendicular to that of the arm of the operator, who carries the device hanging from the end of his arm.

One of the two checks is solid while the other is annular; a central drum is mounted for rotation about a pin carried by the solid cheek and is able to rotate within the annular cheek. A spring integral in rotation with the drum rubs against the side of the solid cheek and thus acts as a brake on rotation of the drum and thus prevents sudden, inadvertent unwinding.

A winding-handle designed to allow the surveyors chain to be wound onto its drum is fixed to the latters periphery and is pivotably mounted so that, in the operating position, the winding-handle is located on the outside and its crank-pin points outwards, while in the inoperative position the winding-handle points inwards and its crankpin folds away inside the drum.

The annular cheek is provided with a radial slit, as is also the drum; these two slits are designed to allow the rod and the handle of one of the ends of the surveyors tape to be introduced into or removed from the inside of the drum when they are placed in alignment; to this end, the drum diameter is adequate to accommodate the rod and its grip.

In the accompanying drawings,

FIG. 1 shows one of the ends of the chain.

FIG. 2 is a front view of the wind-in magazine.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view along the lines III-III in FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is a similar view to that of FIG. 2, showing the chain in the fully unwound condition prior to removal.

The graduated metal tape 1 consisting the surveyors chain is provided with clearly legible centimetric graduation marks on one of its faces, together with decimetric numerical indications in addition to metric indications.

To this end, FIG. 1 shows, on the inner end of a 20- meter long surveyors chain, the markings and numerical indications corresponding to 19 m. cm.; a hinge 2 located along the plane of the tape is placed at the next decimeter, and on this hinge, which is carried by a reinforcing copper yoke 3, is mounted the cylindrical rod 4 terminating in a half-cylindrical groove 5 the'axis of which is normal to the plane of the tape and located at a distance of 10 centimeters from the hinge axis 2; a grip 6 marked with centimeter graduations is mounted rotatable on the cylindrical rod 4.

The wind-in magazine for this surveyors chain comprises a check 7 consisting of a circular disc, and an annula'r check 8, these twocheeks being joined together by regularly spaced struts 9 along their periphery. A winding-drum 10 is rotatably mounted on the cheek 7 through the medium of a core-piece 11; its diameter is slightly less than the inner diameter of the annular check 8 so that it can rotate Within the latter and it features a turneddown brim 12 which projects through the central aperture of the annular check 8.

A spring-blade 13 is integral in rotation with the drum 10; it comprises two Wings 14 which, through slots 15 provided for the purpose in the side of the drum 10, rub against the inner face of the cheek 7 and so prevent uncontrolled rotation of the drum 10.

The two cheeks 7 and 8 are provided with tangential extensions 16 and 17 onto the ends of which is fixed the armature 18 of a handle 19 which is directed substantially perpendicular to the peripheral extensions 16 and 17, and also in an outward direction so that when the operator carries this wind-in magazine at the end of his arm, holding it by the handle 19, the device hangs normally without exerting any bending force on the operators hand.

The handle preferably embodies four notches, 21, 22, 23 and 24, designed to accommodate the four fingers of the operators hand, and a flat portion 26 located opposite the groove 21 on which the thumb can be rested.

Two further tangential extensions 27 and 28, diametrically opposed to the handle 19, are integral with the checks 7 and 8 respectively and their extremities are joined together by a strut 29.

These extensions form a housing for the outer grip 30 of the surveyors chain in the wound-in position, as shown by the continuous lines in FIG. 2, and facilitate winding-in and unwinding of the chain in a direction substantially parallel to the handle 19.

This winding operation can be controlled by a folding handle 31, the pin 32 of which can be maintained in two 3 The turned-down brim 12 of the drum is also provided with a notch 37 through which can be seen, inFIG. 2, a number of windings 38 of the tape. When tape has been fully unwound and it is desired to withdraw it from its wind-in magazine,'allithat is needed is to fetch'the.

twozradialnotches'35 and 37 opposite each other; if the inner grip 39 is then seized and apull exerted on it .at right angles to the planes of the cheeks 7 and 8, there will be no difliculty in withdrawing the surveyors chain from its magazine.

To replace the chain in the magazine and wind it in, the operations are carried out in reverse order; having first fetchedthe radial notches 35 and 37 opposite each other, the grip 39 is inserted and placed in position as shown in FIG. 4; the folding Winding-handle 31 is then placed inits operating position, vand by then rotating the handle viaits crank-pin 34 the tape is wound on in the appropriate direction.

It is to beclearly understood thatthe embodiment of the invention described above withreference to the accompanying'drawings has been given by way of example only and not in a limiting sense, and many detail modifications can be made without departing from the scopet'of the invention.

What I claim is:

1. A surveyors chain consisting of a graduated metal tape to each end of which is pivotally attached a rigid grip the free end of which is provided with a, transverse groove to accommodate a chain-pin, whereby said grips. form an, integral part of said;.chain the mensuration capacity of which, twenty meters say, is caused to be-"the' length included between the axes of said transverse grooveswhen the chain is stretched taut, in which'said tape isprovided at each end' witha transverse hinge lying in the plane of the tape, and each grip consists of a cylindrical rod adapted topivot in a plane at right angles to-saidhinge and a grip proper drilled through longitudie nally with a cylindrical bore and slipped over said cy lindrical rod about which it is freely rotatable, the free end of said rod protruding through said gripand being provided with said transverse groove at right'anglesto said hinge, whereby said groove alwayslies in.a..plane atright angles to said hinge irrespective of any pivotal motion of said rod about said hingeor rotation of said grip about said rod.

2, A chain as claimed in claim 1, in whichxthengrip properis of circular cross section and providedoveryits and the axis of the transverse groove on the free end of said rod being equal to ten units of length for example.

3. A chain as claimed in claim 2, in which the grip proper is T-shaped and comprises to that end, at its free extremity, two radial extensions in line with each other.

4. A wind-in magazine for a surveyors chain as claimed in claim3, comprising twoparallel cheeks between which is rotatably mounted a Winding drum, one of said cheeks having a circular aperture opening. into the inside of said drum wherein may be accommodated one of the two grips of said surveyors chain after the tape has been wound onto the drum, each of said cheeks being provided with a first tangential extension and said extensions being interconnected by a strut and being adapted to, accommodate between them the longitudinal part of said T-shaped grip after the'tape has been fully coiled into said wind-in magazine and to cause said radial ex; tensions of the grip to abut against said strut, whichthereby serves to limit the winding motion. of the tape on the drum;

5. A wind-in magazine asclaimed in'claim 4, in which each of said cheeks is provided with a second tangential extension-substantially diametricallyopposed to the first extensionand in which an inwardly turned handleiscarried by the free ends of said; second extensionsso that it lies: substantially parallel to the directionjof; unwinding of the. tape.

6. A surveryorschain according to claim 4, comprising a radial extension of the drum, which is integral with the latter and .which extends above the second wall ofrthe magazine, the'windinghandle being pivotally mounted on; thatextension and being, capable of assuming, by pivoting action, .a retracted position within the drumgand an operative position in which it is unfolded outwards of the drum. I

7. A surveyors chain according to claim 6, comprising a fiat spring mounted on the winding-handle and cooperating with, they radial extension; so asto immobilizerthe winding-handle in both the retracted position andthe operative position.

References Cited in the file of this patent, UNITED STATES'PATENTS 

1. A SURVEYOR''S CHAIN CONSISTING OF A GRADUATED METAL TAPE TO EACH END OF WHICH IS PIVOTALLY ATTACHED A RIGID GRIP THE FREE END OF WHICH IS PROVIDED WITH A TRANSVERSE GROOVE TO ACCOMMODATE A CHAIN-PIN, WHEREBY SAID GRIPS FORM AN INTEGRAL PART OF SAID CHAIN THE MENSURATION CAPACITY OF WHICH, TWENTY METERS SAY, IS CAUSED TO BE THE LENGTH INCLUDED BETWEEN THE AXES OF SAID TRANSVERSE GROOVES WHEN THE CHAIN IS STRETCHED TAUT, IN WHICH SAID TAPE IS PROVIDED AT EACH END WITH A TRANSVERSE HINGE LYING IN THE PLANE OF THE TAPE, AND EACH GRIP CONSISTS OF A CYLINDRICAL ROD ADAPTED TO PIVOT IN A PLANE AT RIGHT ANGLES TO SAID HINGE AND A GRIP PROPER DRILLED THROUGH LONGITUDINALLY WITH A CYLINDRICAL BORE AND SLIPPED OVER SAID CYLINDRICAL ROD ABOUT WHICH IT IS FREELY ROTATABLE, THE FREE END OF SAID ROD PROTRUDING THROUGH SAID GRIP AND BEING PROVIDED WITH SAID TRANSVERSE GROOVE AT RIGHT ANLES TO SAID HINGE, WHEREBY SAID GROOVE ALWAYS LIES IN A PLANE AT RIGHT ANGLES TO SAID HINGE IRRESPECTIVE OF ANY PIVOTAL MOTION OF SAID ROD ABOUT SAID HINGE OR ROTATION OF SAID GRIP ABOUT SAID ROD. 